Monday, October 3, 2011

Birthday Drinks and Paying Respect...

Lex-tember is officially over and so I'd thought I'd reflect and share with you what I drank on my birthday (9/20).

Mine is on the left - Rye'n Stone - The Plant Organic Cafe, Embarcadero

You guys know how much I LOVE Whiskey, Bourbon and /or Rye...so this one had Bulleit Rye and I just couldn't resist. I just wished they toned down the licorice flavor - killed it for me. I'm sure it was the bitters...sorry, I didn't note the other components in this cocktail.

I was just happy this cocktail was better than my birthday lunch. Sorry, Mr. Lex!

A Bombay Sapphire Martini from the legendary Tadich Grill, FiDi. I love this place and I need to go back for their famous Cioppino. This spot is a fancy diner for old-time "power lunch" set.

My husband and I walked straight up to the bar and just ordered cocktails. I knew immediately that I wanted a gin martini to feel like I was back in 1965 and this was part of the lunch hour. There is nothing fancy about this drink - Bombay Sapphire gin and dry vermouth poured into a shaker sitting in ice. It wasn't even shaken nor stirred. It was poured through the strainer into my martini glass with two olives. This is not for the weak of hearts.

Did I also mention that this was in the middle of a Tuesday and I had great pleasure knowing that I was enjoying a martini knowing I could go home after I finished while the rest of these suit types had to go back to the office?

And lastly,

The Cherry Bounce from the Comstock Saloon in North Beach.
Bourbon, Cherry Brandy, lemon, Angostura bitters and Champagne....how could I go wrong? Bourbon and Champagne in one glass? Sign me up!!

This was as sweet as described. The bourbon does a great job of cutting through the sweet and giving this cocktail some body. The citrus and herbal bitter also lighten things up. The champagne is added last for some fizz.

This is definitely a party in a glass for me...so much that I had to have a second!

I did round the night with (2) Maker's Mark bourbon and ginger ale just to slow things down at the dive bar next door. I didn't take a picture of that drink but I did capture this in the ladies room:

It looks like it was an old Aqua Net dispenser. How cool is this? I actually wished that it still had bottles for purchase. Sure, it probably depleted most of the ozone layer...I took part in that in the late 80's but it would have made a cool collector's, birthday gift for myself.

I will be posting my September favorites this week.

Cheers!

Just a brief note of respect, please bare with me.

I had a real heartbreaking end to this month. Mr. Lex and I had to put in a sh*tload of money into car repair, my hopes for a job change got stomped on and worse part of all, I lost a friend.

No seriously, this gentle giant of a man that I was lucky enough to know passed away in his sleep. I will be attending his wake this coming weekend to pay my respects. He could never be replaced and he was a big presence in the community. He gave me awesome bear hugs and big laughs when I needed it.

Even though I am sitting at my desk feeling empty and unappreciated, I am forcing a smile on my face for him. Because he always managed to convey a positive and humorous vibe when I was around him. In stressful times at the theater space, where I met him, I would hear him cracking jokes partly in Tagalog and English and this would always make me laugh. I'm not fluent in Tagalog but I always knew enough to get the joke.

If I keep that feeling in my heart maybe it will make me feel lighter and to remember who I am and what my worth is. I know this is what he would want me to do.

2 comments:

Oh boy! The return of the bar portion of former girl at bar =). I almost feel like I can taste the drinks I see you on your blog. I think Cherry Bounce looks the best to me. Btw, I attempted my own booze picture, a couple posts ago, with you in mind!

It makes me sad to hear about what you've been going through lately with job, car, and your friend. Sometimes it seems life just unloads a truckload all at once. I'm sorry to hear about your friend's passing, although, I think it is a very happy thing to have known someone like that. People who always share love, humor, and support and more special than they know. It sounds like you're honoring his memory well by keeping up good spirits despite everything that's going on. I hope things will look up for you soon!

Oh Dovey,I'm flattered that you tried to do a booze pic...I'll have to back track and find it. When did you post it?

Thanks for your kind words. I loved how his looks were so deceiving. He looked so intimidating but he was just the biggest teddy bear. Those of us in our theater community are still dealing with the loss but life does go on and I'm trying to put that smile back on to my face because I know that's what he would have wanted.